Seeing Signs of Allah

As discussed during week one, remembering God is a charge given to humanity through the revelations that has been interpreted in a variety of ways.  Some recite the 99 Beautiful Names of God, as depicted in the music of this short film.  Others seek to see God in all of creation and throughout their daily lives.  In the following verse, we are told that we will see signs of God all around us if only we are aware.

“Behold!  In the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day; in the sailing of ships through the ocean for profit of humankind; in the rain which God sends down from the skies, and the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead; in the beasts of all kinds that he scatters through the earth; in the change of winds, and the clouds which they trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth; (Here) indeed are the signs (ayat) for a people that are wise.” – Quran 2:164

In this film then, I filmed small, seemingly insignificant, pieces of my life where I see the face of God and where I was able to remember and see proof of Allah in my daily life.  I see God in what He/She has provided for me, in the people put in my life, and in the nature surrounding me.  I hope that this piece of art will inspire all to seek proof of the Divine in each moment.

Recitation – Light Verse

While reading “The Quran in Indonesian Daily Life” by A. Rasmussen this week, I was interested to learn about female recitation life in Indonesia.  Rasmussen’s experience, as a non-Muslim woman, learning to recite in Indonesia made me curious to try it out for myself.  She was able to observe the recitation from an outsider’s perspective while gaining access to an insider’s perspective.  I learned that I could also try to do the same.  What is it about recitation that is so special?  What makes people so dedicated to the practice and mastery of it?  Building upon our previous lectures and discussions, I know that recitation is an art that connects with the Divine in a special way because the words from the Qur’an, when spoken in Arabic, are the same words that Allah spoke to Muhammad.  After practicing the Arabic pronunciation several times, I went into a silent space to recite the Light Verse for the recording.  I felt a sense of calm and reverence that I hope is captured in my very first Qur’an recitation recording.  In the reading from Approaching the Qur’an for this week’s lecture, Sells discusses the control and slowing down of breath in relation to Qur’an recitation and its meditative quality.  As an avid yoga practioner, I can attest to the fact that reciting the Qur’an, even as a complete amateur, immediately relaxed me just as the recitation of the “Aum” in yoga does at the beginning and end of practice.   I hope one day to learn Arabic so that I can recite more effectively and be able to bring this new meditative practice that I experienced today, into my everyday life.